Hermione and Her First Galleon
by LoeraHaram
Summary: Hermione's first encounter with the wizarding world happened several years before her Hogwarts letter arrived. One-Shot.


Disclaimer: I don't own Hermione Granger or anything in the Harry Potter Universe, it's all J. 's.

Hermione knew perfectly well that speaking to strangers was not allowed. Her parents had told her again and again of the dangers associated with strangers. However, this man sitting on the bench, on _her bench,_ doing absolutely impossible things, practically begged her to look aside from that rule and talk to him.

In fact, while talking to strangers was bad, behaving in such a ludicrous way, which was most certainly illegal, and _on her bench_, left her no room, but to walk over to him and intervene in this madness.

For how could making frogs waltz on top of a top hat be legal? There had to be some kind of animal welfare law against this. They did not seem at all happy about their situation, as the man was telling them rather loudly that they were doing it _wrong, wrong, wrong!_

"This is impossible! How on earth will you be ready for _Mr Beagle's Amazingly Amazing Circus Dance_ at this rate!" screamed the man, who was wearing a frock of a rather shocking yellow. "You're not even following the rhythm!"  
At this point, the frogs had stopped and looked up at him at what Hermione thought to be a rather annoyed manner.

Decided that she had indeed seen enough, she thought this was the right point to intervene. "Perhaps treating them with kindness and giving them a rhythm to follow would work better than just yelling at them!" When saying this, she tried to put on her most important face, similar to the one that Miss Hudson used when was teaching them the importance of geography.

The man stopped in his tracks, and looked first underneath the hat, making the frogs yelp, and then to the left, and to her astonishment, under his right armpit. He seemed completely confused at the intrusion. Honestly, she was not that small, no matter what Thomas in her math class insisted on.

Harrumphing, she tapped her foot and gave him her best glare. The man in the yellow frock finally seemed to notice her. Grimacing at her, he snarled "And I suppose a _muggle_ like you would know better than me on how to teach frogs how to dance?"

"Mr Travis always said that we had to have a beat to follow when learning the waltz, or any dance for that matter. How can you expect the frogs to do it properly when they have no beat to follow!" and as an afterthought she added, "and there is absolutely no need for name-calling!"

The man was opening his mouth, but Hermione paid him no interest and turned to the frogs.

"Now, do the step again, just follow my beat" the frogs nodded, and followed the beat she made.

The frogs began to dance much better. Nodding she smiled pleasantly "Well done!" The frogs paid her no mind and continued dancing to the beat that had somehow continued without Hermione making it.  
Hermione looked up at the man, who was now looking gobsmacked. He turned to look at her, held his hand at over his heart, and looked her in the eye. His eyes were a mix of violet and yellow, and as odd at this sounded; they seemed perfectly natural on him.

"… I had no idea! That the frogs, Heinrich and Dolera, by the way, only needed a beat… and after all these months"

He looked a bit forlorn. Hermione pitied the man a bit, for working hard all those months without knowing this – but only a little bit, as he had been cruel to the frogs for not doing proper research.

He sighed. "I must thank you Miss-" "-Granger, sir. Hermione Granger" "- Hermione Granger, for helping me with this. Without you Heinrich, Dolera and I would have looked like complete fools a week from now. I don't know how to thank you enough".

He paused, rubbed his cheek with his free hand, before suddenly jumping (making the frogs yelp again) and snapped his fingers.

"I know, I'll give you a ticket to the show!" Nodding, he looked very pleased with himself, until he paused again, looking even more forlorn.

"No, no, that won't work, being muggle and all." He mumbled something, she thought she heard _statue of….society? No…secrecy? _

"Alright, I will give you a share of the price money if we win, does that sound ok to you?"

He looked her in the eye again with his unique yellow and violet eyes, and stretched out his hand, and Hermione felt that _this_ would not be a normal handshake, but something more.

"Oh that is not necessary"

"Nonsense! You deserve it!"

Hermione looked at his hand. She nodded, and shook his hand. A small shiver went down her back when they shook hands.

He smiled and winked at her, at her "'till we meet again!"

And with that, he was gone. Her bench was available again, but this time being the only one sitting on it seemed a lot more lonelier than usual.

A couple of weeks later, when she had begun to believe what the other kids and the adults told her, that she had only dreamed about the man in the yellow frock, and that frogs could not understand human speech, and certainty not dance, Hermione woke early by a loud repeating noise. It sounded like someone tapping his or her fingers against her window. Deciding to ignore it, as it was probably just Thomas trying to annoy her – never mind what he was doing out there in the middle of the night - she took the duvet over her head, and forced herself to continue sleeping.

When she woke again later that morning, she found a small green, envelope lying next to her on her pillow. Still dazed from sleep, she opened up the envelope a bit carelessly, and out fell a golden coin and a note saying "Thank you Miss Hermione Granger!". Puzzled, she held the coin up against the light, before putting it back into the envelope, hiding it under her pillow.


End file.
